Anti-War Protest Held by Palestinian Citizens of Israel in Deir Hanna
In Deir Hanna, Israel, a group of Palestinian citizens staged an anti-war protest on March 30, as captured by Maya Levin for NPR.
Following a devastating Hamas attack last October, claimed to have caused 1,200 casualties by Israel, anti-war rallies in the country were suppressed. Several Palestinian citizens were detained en route to peaceful gatherings, which, according to regulations, did not necessitate police authorization. Legal organizations recorded numerous cases of imprisonment, job terminations, academic suspensions, and disciplinary actions at colleges, often due to social media content that seemed critical of Israel’s incursion into Gaza.
Therefore, the recent demonstration on a Saturday afternoon was a remarkable event, with hundreds of Palestinian citizens expressing their dissent peacefully.
During the Land Day event in Deir Hanna, a town in Israel’s Galilee, Palestinian citizens protested the ongoing Gaza war. Despite the police ban on displaying the Palestinian flag, many, including 25-year-old Haj Amir, proudly raised it in defiance.
Haj Amir expressed his hope for the Palestinian flag to symbolize their future independent country. The annual Land Day event, observed on March 30, not only commemorates Palestinian resistance to Israeli land confiscation but also serves as a platform to denounce the prolonged conflict in Gaza.
Nagm Madi, a participant in the march, felt secure to voice her opposition to the war without fear of reprisal. Accompanied by her four young children, she emphasized the peaceful intentions of the protesters. “We are not extremists. We seek peace and the freedom to express our views,” she stated confidently.
Challenges Faced by Palestinian Citizens in Israel
Accounting for 20% of Israel’s population, Palestinian citizens often experience discrimination characterized by limited job prospects, high poverty rates, and insufficient investment in Arab communities. While many sympathize with the plight of Gaza, openly supporting Palestinians in that region can be risky.
The Significance of the Deir Hanna March
The Deir Hanna march, a component of the annual Land Day observance, commemorates a 1976 demonstration against Israeli government efforts to seize Arab-owned land in the northern Galilee. During the 1976 protest, Israeli law enforcement fatally shot six Palestinians. This year’s march also highlighted opposition to the prolonged conflict in Gaza, now entering its sixth month.
Maya Levin for NPR
Crackdown on Freedom of Expression in Israel
Legal aid organizations report that following the Oct. 7 incident, Israel initiated an unprecedented restriction on freedom of speech and assembly. This crackdown affected all citizens, including Jewish Israelis, but particularly targeted Palestinian citizens. While Israeli citizens have been actively demonstrating weekly, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to repatriate hostages or, more recently, to advocate for early elections, obtaining permits for anti-war protests has become increasingly challenging.
Legal aid attorneys have been engaged in lengthy legal battles, escalating their cases to the highest court in Israel. Consequently, they have successfully secured permits for a limited number of recent anti-war rallies. Palestinian citizens protest Gaza alongside Jewish activists, who often have a higher likelihood of obtaining protest permits. However, there is a noticeable deterrent effect on Palestinian participation in protests, indicating a significant hindrance to their freedom of expression.
In Deir Hanna, Palestinian citizens of Israel participate in a march on March 30. Legal aid organizations report that following the Oct. 7 incident, Israel initiated an unprecedented crackdown on the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
Maya Levin for NPR
A march in Deir Hanna on March 30 by Palestinian citizens of Israel. Legal aid groups note an extensive restriction on freedom of expression and assembly by Israel after the Oct. 7 event.
According to Hassan Jabareen, the general director of the human rights group Adalah, protest permits for Palestinian citizens have been subject to stringent and limited conditions. For instance, organizers were compelled to relocate a protest from the town center to a remote soccer field.
Hassan Jabareen expresses his frustration, stating, “It’s incredibly disrespectful.”
Despite the unfavorable conditions, the group opted to comply with the restrictions out of concern that challenging them could lead to a complete denial of the permit.
Furthermore, various forms of suppression persist. In a recent incident, a Palestinian professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem utilized the English language with a focus on the keyphrase “Palestinian citizens protest Gaza.”
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Sattath emphasizes the importance of individuals freely expressing their opinions to foster a culture of open dialogue and learning.
Shahd Bishara, 30, from Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, anticipates a transformative period post-war, reflecting on the impact of recent events on Palestinian citizens protesting in Gaza.
Israeli-Palestinian Citizens Protest Gaza
During the initial stages of the conflict, Shahd Bishara, a 30-year-old pathologist residing in Tel Aviv, chose to refrain from conversing in Arabic publicly. The escalation of tensions following a prior clash with Hamas in 2021 resulted in violent confrontations between Israeli Jews and Arabs, prompting Bishara’s concerns about a potential recurrence. She expressed, “I feared becoming a target of an attack.”
Fortunately, such an incident did not materialize. However, the stress during the recent autumn was so intense that one of Bishara’s acquaintances, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, established a podcast to provide a platform for individuals to voice their opinions. Recalling the initiative, she mentioned, “The podcast was titled ‘We will not be silent,’ and my friend even assigned me a pseudonym.”
Reflecting on the current situation from her residence in a Tel Aviv suburb, Bishara acknowledged lingering apprehensions. Despite this, she now feels at ease not only conversing in Arabic openly but also actively opposing the conflict in Gaza.
Empowering Palestinian Citizens in Israel through Activism
Her confidence has been boosted through her involvement with Standing Together, a coalition of Jewish and Palestinian citizens in Israel. This group established a helpline and financial support system for Palestinian citizens encountering harassment. Additionally, they have organized gatherings to foster unity between Jewish and Arab communities. Recently, they have spearheaded various demonstrations against war.
Bishara emphasizes the importance of these actions, stating, “Our aim is to advocate for a ceasefire agreement to ensure the safe return of Israeli hostages. Furthermore, we strive to avert the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Despite these efforts, challenges persist.
In a Tel Aviv cafe, she abruptly stops speaking upon seeing a man in casual attire carrying a large firearm. Following the Hamas attack, Israel’s right-wing national security minister relaxed gun regulations to arm civilians. He recently marked the distribution of 100,000 new gun permits. A local Israeli newspaper highlighted that no Palestinian communities or residents were included in the eligibility list.
“The intention is to target Palestinian citizens at the end of the day,” Bishara remarks. “So feeling fearful in such circumstances is understandable, isn’t it?”
In Deir Hanna, Palestinian citizens of Israel participate in a Land Day march on March 30. Hassan Jabareen, the general director of the human rights organization Adalah, notes that some protest permits for Palestinian citizens of Israel come with “very limited and strict conditions.” The image credit goes to Maya Levin for NPR.
According to Bishara, witnessing the devastation in Gaza and the death toll of over 33,000 Palestinians is heartbreaking. She points out that the Israeli media fails to adequately cover these events, creating a sort of “bubble” that shields Jewish Israelis from the reality seen in international media outlets. Bishara feels that the current state of relations between Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian citizens is at a critical turning point.
The English language is used with a focus on the keyphrase “Palestinian citizens protest Gaza” to highlight the uncertainty regarding the direction in which the relationship between Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian citizens is heading.
“According to her, we are bound to see a new era emerge following this war,” she expresses. She is determined to continue advocating to steer that era towards less violence.
